Rolling mill



Oct. 5, 1937. c, lNsLEE 2,094,920

ROLLING MILL Filed 'May 25, 1954 2 SheetsSheet l INVENTOR Heber C. [n.s/ee 0 l4: ATTOR'NEY Oct. 5, 1937. t c [NSLEE 2,094,QZU9

ROLLING MILL Filed May 25, 1954 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2' Fig f3 46 67 39 1 Z W/ "f INVENTOR Haber C. [HS/66 M ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 5, 1937 ROLLING MILL Haber c. Inslce, New York, N. 1., assignor to The Babcock & Wilcox Tube Company, West Mayiield, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application May 25, 1934, Serial No. 727,393

Claims.

This invention relates to rolling mills of the continuous type for reducing the cross-sectional size of tubes, rolls, and bars. The invention has been made especially with the idea of providing 5 an improved tube sinking mill in which the tubes are passed through successive passes formed by.

4-roll stands, and especially in tube sinking mills,

that is, mills which reduce the outside diameter of a tube which is unsupported by a mandrel bar, the wall thickness of the tube usually being more or less increased.

Sinking mills with 4-roll stands as made heretofore have, so far as I am informed, been open to objection on accountof being of construction such that adjustment of the rolls and accessibility of parts for the purpose of repair and replacement of rolls and other working parts has been diflicult, or else that each roll stand unit has been of such considerable dimension in the direction of the length of the mill as a whole as to unduly extend the length of the mill so that not only is a large amount of floor space required but a considerable unnecessary cooling of the tube takes place during its passage through the mill.

The present invention aims to provide an improved continuous reducing mill, and more especially a 4-roll-unit tube sinking mill, which is of compact and comparatively simple construction, and in which the rolls are readily adjustableand the rolls and other moving or wearing parts are readily accessible for repair or replacement, and which shall have other advantages as will appear from the following description.

A reducing mill according to the invention comprises a number of roll stand units, which are or may be identical except for differences in the roll grooves, each unit comprising a casing within which are mounted the grooved reducing rolls which form the pass, and for each roll an intermediate bevel driving gear mounted to turn on an axis parallel with the axis of the pass and a roll carrier pivotally mounted to turn about an axis coincident with the axis of the bevel gear.

Each roll carrier carries in suitable bearings a roll spindle on one end of which the roll is mounted and the other end of which carries a bevel pinion meshing with the corresponding bevel gear. I each roll carrier there is provided means for holding the carrier in adjusted position and for adjusting the carrier to move the tread of its roll toward or away from the mill center, this adjustment serving the double purpose of adjusting the roll to obtain the exact pass diameter desired and o! retracting the roll and spindle housing of the carrier to permit the adjacent roll which faces such spindle housing to be .removed and replaced. The bevel gears for driving the several rolls are connected by shafts and bevel pinions to turn in unison, and are driven through a shaft which extends out through the peripheral wall of the main casing. The roll stand units are set up in line with their work passes in alignment and with the roll stand of each unit inclined, for 4-roll units, at an angle of 45 degrees to the roll stand of each adjacent unit, and with their drive shafts extending from opposite sides of the mill for connection each to a set of reducing gears, the several sets of reducing gears on each side 01 the mill being driven from a longitudinally extending drive shaft.

A full understanding of the invention can'best be given by a detailed description of a t-roll unit sinking mill embodying the various features or the invention in the form now considered best, and such a description will now be given in connection with the accompanying drawings illustrating such a mill and in which:-

Fig. 1' is a view in elevation of one of the roll stand units of a 4-roll unit continuous mill according to the invention, the removable side plate ,of. the casing being removed but the parts carried thereby being shown in position, and certain 'parts being shown in section;

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of three of the roll stand units of the mill and the driving means for two of the units shown; and

Fig. 3 is a section of part of the roll stand unit shown in Fig. 1 taken on line 3-4 of Fig. 1.-

Referring to the drawings, the mill illustrated comprises a suitable number of roll stand units A set closely spaced in line, and a series of driving units B, one for each alternate roll stand unit,

on one side of the mill, and a series of driving units 13', one for each of the other roll stand units, on the other side of the mill. The roll stand units and the driving units, r gear stands, may be mounted on any suitable foundation structure. Most desirably and as shown, the roll stand units are mounted on spaced parallel longitudinal rails Ill set on suitable foundations.

The roll stand units may be, and most desirably are, all of the same construction, the desired variations in their operative effect being obtained by adjusting the reducing rolls and by using rolls of diiiering grooves, and by driving the'rolis of different units at different speeds by using suitably diflerent gears in the gear stands B and B. A description of one of the roll stand units will do for all.

Each roll stand unit A comprises a shallow box or casing l5 having parallel walls It and I1 and spectively. The cover plate ii of the wall I! has a small central opening 22, indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3, for passage of the tube or other workpiece and desirably'of a size only sufficient for free passage of the largest workpieces to be passed throughthe mill. The cover plate 20 of the wall I also has a central opening 23 which permits passage of the workpiece and which is extended in iourmrections in the form of a Greek cross to correspond to a scale guard 25, onehalf of which is secured to the plate 20 and the other half to the plate II, this extended opening in the plate 2| thus providing a discharge outlet for the scale and water from the rolls in operation.

The four grooved rolls 3. are each carried at the end of a spindle 3| mounted in a bearing sleeve set in a housing of a roll carrier 32. The roll carriers are pivotaliy mounted on pivot studs 33 parallel'with the axis of the pass extending from the wall I 1 at points equidistant from the mill center and from each other. The mil spindles extend radially of the pivotal axis of their carriers all in one plane, and the carriers are of such length from the rolls to their pivotal axes that the slight pivotal movement of the carrier for adjusting the rolls toward and from the pass axis to accommodate the diflerently grooved rolls of diflerent roll stands or to take up wear gives to the rolls what is for all intents and purposes a straight lire movement in directions radial to the pass axis. The carriers have bearing surfaces 35 of considerable extent to bear against surfaces formed on the wall l1, and each carrierhas adjacent its roll end oppositely extending bearing portions 36 for additionally holding the carrier against movement in a direction longitudinal of the work pass by engagement with the cover plates 20 and 2!, such bearing portions being desirably faced with detachable wearing plates as shown.

Each roll spindle is formed at its r011 receiving end with a threaded portion 31, a reduced roll receiving portion 38, and a further reduced thrmded end portion 39. and keyed on the reduced portion 38 and is secured by nuts 46 and 41. By adjustment oi these nuts the roll may be adjusted slightly axially of its spindle. Each of the roll carriers is held against pivotal movement by means of a screwoperated member 40 and a link 4| which serve also as adjusting means to give desired pivotal The roll is mounted movement to the carrier for adjusting its roll toward and away from the pass line and for swinging the carrier outward to permit removal and replacement of a roll on an adjacent carrier. The member 40 is mounted to slide and is held against rotation in a guide 42 which extends inward through an opening in the peripheral wall of the casing and has a flange by which it is bolted to movement to the roll carrier about its pivotal axis. The arrangement is such that each roll carrier, in addition to the movement necessary for positioning and adjusting its roll, may be swung outward a sui'licient distance to permit the adjacent roll which faces the spindle housing of such carrier to be removed from and replaced on the end of its spindle.

The rolls are driven through intermediate bevel driving gears ill, one for each of the rolls, mounted on an axis parallel with the axis of the pass and coincident with the pivotal axis of the roll carrier of .the roll which it drives and meshing with a bevel pinion 5i keyed on the end of the roll spindle. The bevel gears 50 are mounted on the casing wall l6, each carried by a bearing stud 52 which extends through an opening in the wall from a flange 53 bolted to the outside of the wall. Most desirably and as shown, roller bearings are provided between the stud 52 and the hub of the bevel gear, such roller hearings or other bearings being of any suitable form and arranged to take the thrust on the gear, which is in the direction toward the wall. In the arrangement shown, a cap piece it held by a screw bolt 55, holds the main bearing in place. As the pivotal axes ofthe roll carriers are coincident each with the axis of its corresponding gear ill, turning movement of the carrier does not disturb the meshing of its pinion ii with the gear by which it is driven.

The four bevel gears 50 are driven from one of the gear stands B through a shaft 60 which extends out through a peripheral wall of the easing and is releasably coupled to a shaft 6 I of the gear stand. The. shaft 60 drives two of the bevel gears 50 both in the same direction by means of pinions 62 and 63 keyed on the shaft. One of the remaining gears 50 is driven in the same direction from the gear which is driven by the pinion 62 through a shaft 64 and pinions 65 and 66, and the remaining gear 50 is driven also in the same direction from the gear driven by pinion 63 through a shaft 6! and pinions 68 and 69. The four gears 50 are all of the same size and their driving pinions are of the same size,

and the pinions on the four roll spindles are all of the same size, so that the mils are all driven at the same speed.

The rolls 30 will be grooved according to the cross-sectional shape and size of the tube or other work-piece to be rolled and the shape and size to which it is to be rolled. For round tubes and round rods, the rolls have substantially quarter circle grooves as shown. The peripheral surfaces of the roll at each side of the groove slant backward, as customary in 4-roll mills, at an angle of 45 degrees, so that the rolls may be set close together to provide an approximately conable construction. They are arranged in two series, one on each side of the mill, and as shown the gear stands of each series are driven from a longitudinal shaft 10 through bevel gearing H which drives a shaft carrying a pinion 12 meshing with a gear 13 on the shaft 6| to which the roll stand unit shaft 60 is coupled. The rolls of alternate roll stand units of the mill are driven by the gear stands on one side of the mill, and

the rolls of the other roll stand units are driven by the gear stands on the other side of the mill. The several gear stands are provided with speed reducing gears 12 and 13 of different ratios for driving the successive r011 stands at different relative speeds according to the customary practice in the operation of continuous mills or as desired. v

In. setting the roll stand units ,up 'to form the continuous mill, the units are set in line with their work passes in alignment and with the 90 angularly spaced rolls of each unit standing at an angle of 45 to the rolls of each adjacent unit. The roll stand units as so far described might be so set up having alternate units oppositely inclined with 7 direction, that is, with the wall IT, which has been referred to as the front wall, of one unit facing the back wall N5 of an adjacent unit. This would necessitate difference in the mounting means of adjacent units. The necessity of such different mounting means for alternate units is avoided by arranging the units as shown, that is, with successive units turned to face in opposite directions so that the front wall of one unit will face the front wall of an adjacent unit and back walls will face back walls, and having, when as in the unit illustrated the setting of the rolls requires it, each unit provided with a short leg toseat on one of the rails l0 and a long leg 8| to seat on the other rail it. These legs are of such relative length and so positioned on the casing that when the units are set up in line on the two parallel rails and faced alternately in opposite directions their work-passes will all be in alignment and the roll stand of each unit will be inclined to the roll stand of each adjacent unit at an angle of 45. The legs 80 and 8| are detachably secured to the rails on which they rest by any suitable means, such as the T bolts 82 which extend from T slots in the rails. For steadying and binding the units together at the top, each unit is provided with two spaced slotted lugs 84 projecting upwardly from its upper peripheral wall, and the lugs 84 of adjacent units are connected by bolts 85 and spacing sleeves 86. Each unit is also desirably provided with two laterally spaced eye-lugs 81 and 88 for engagement by lifting tackle.

In orderto remove any one of the roll stand units, it is necessary only to disconnect the unit from its gear stand, remove the nuts from the bolts 82 by which the unit is secured to the supporting rails l0, and remove the bolts 85 by which it is connected to the adjacent roll stand unit or units, and then lift it by a suitable lifting gear connected to its eye-studs 81 and 88. If it is desired to remove any one of the rolls 30, the cover plate 20 is removed and then the roll carrier 32 whose spindle housing extends past the roll which is to be removed is backed away a sufficient distance, as to the position indicated by all the units facing in the same dotted lines a: in Fig. 1, to permit the roll to be removed from the end of its spindle. Any one of the rolls may be removed in this manner and replaced, after which the carrier 32 which has been turned to permit removal of the roll is swung back to its operative position. Adjustm'ent of the rolls toward or away from the axis of the pass is effected by turning the screws 43 through engagement with their wrench heads 45 outside the casing. Complete access to all of the operating parts within the casing may be obtained by removing the wall I 1. The cover plate 2| may, of course, be removed for access to such parts as may be reached through the opening in the wall "which it normally closes.

As will be apparent, the arrangement of the pivoted roll carriers and the intermediate bevel driving gears 50 and the means provided for driving such gears and the manner of mounting these parts, makes it possible to provide a roll stand unit, whether with four or three or two rolls, which is of compact construction and the thickness of which in the direction of movement of the work is relatively small and in which the rolls are readily adjustable and the various operative parts are easily accessible. The advantage of the small thickness of the units is increased by the'absence of parts extending any I made, and that a minimum amount of floor space is required for the mill.

It is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the exact construction and arrangement of parts shown and to which the foregoing description has been largely confined, but that it includes changes and modifications thereof within the claims, and especially that while' the invention is primarily directed to mills having 4-,roll stands and to tube sinking mills, features of the invention may, as has been stated, be employed in mills having 2-roll and 3-roll stands and in mills for use otherwise than in sinking tubes.

What is claimed is:

1. A roll stand-unit for a continuous reducing mill, comprising a housing having parallel front and rear walls, a plurality of cooperating grooved rolls forming a substantially closed pass for the workpiece, the front and rear housing walls having work openings in line with the pass, a carrier for each rollv pivotally mounted within the housing on one of said housing walls and extending inward toward the pass and having ail-- jacent its inner end bearing parts engaging both of said walls,- a roll spindle mounted in bearings on each carrier and extending radially of the'pivotal axis of the carrier and having the roll mounted on its inner end, a bevel gear for driving each roll mounted within the housing on the other of said housing walls to turn about an axis in alignment with the pivotal axis of the bevel gears at equal speed.

workpiece, the front and rear housing walls having work openings in line with the pass, a carrier for each roll pivotally mounted within the housing on one of said housing walls and extending in- Word toward the pass and having adjacent its inner end a bearing part engaging one of said 40 mm, comprising a housing ing work openings in line with the walls, a roll spindle mounted in bearings on each carrier and extending radially of the pivotal axis of the carrier and having the roll mounted on its inner end, a bevel gear for driving each roll mounted within the housing on the other of said housing walls to turn about an axis in alignment with the pivotal axis of the roll carrier, a bevel pinion on the outer end of each roll shaft meshing with its bevel gear, and means for driving said bevel gears at equal speed.

3. A roll stand unit for a continuous reducing mill, comprising a housing having parallel front housing on the other of said housing walls to turn about an axis in alignment with the pivotal axis of. the roll carrier, a bevel pinion on the outer end of each roll shaft meshing with its bevel gear, adjusting means operable from outside the housing for turning the carriers about their pivotal axes to move the rolls toward and from the axis of the pass, and means for driving said bevel gears at equal speed.

4! A roll stand unit for a continuous reducing having parallel front and rear walls, a plurality -of cooperating grooved rolls forming a-su 'tantially' closed pass for the workpiece, the front and rear housing walls havpass, a carrier ing the carrier about for each roll pivotally mounted within the housing on one of said housing walls and extending inward toward the pass, a roll spindle mounted iii bearings on each carrier and extending radially of the pivotal axis of the carrier and having the roll mounted on its inner end, a bevel gear for driving each roll mounted within the housing on the other of said housing walls to turn about an axis in alignment with the pivotal axis of the, roll carrier, a bevel pinion on the outer end of each 'roll shaft meshing with its bevel gear, a driving shaft extending into the housing and carrying a bevel pinion engaging with one of said bevel gears, and shafting and bevel pinions within the housing for transmitting motion from said driven bevel gear to the other bevel gear or bevel gears.

5. A roll stand unit for a continuous reducing mill, comprising a housing vhaving parallel vertical walls with openings therein for the passage of the workpiece in a direction at right angles to the walls, four bevel gears mounted within the housing on one of said walls with their axes parallel to th line of the pass and symmetrically arranged abo the mill center, four roll carriers pivotally mounted within the housing on the other of said walls each with its axis in alignment with the axis'o! one of said bevel gears, a roll shaft mounted in bearings on each of said roll carriers and extending radially of the pivotal axis of the carrier, a grooved roll mounted on the inner end of each of saidroll shafts, said rolls cooperating to form a pass having a substantially continuous wall, a bevel pinion on the outer end of each' ofsaid roll shafts meshing with one of said bevel gears, adjusting means for each carrier operable from outside the housing for tumits pivotal axis to move its roll toward and from the axis of the pass, and driving means including means within the housing comprising shafts and bevel pinions for connecting the four bevel gears to turn in the same direction and at the same speed.

I-IEBER C. INSLEE. 

